by Howard Campbell
LOS ANGELES – Jamaican actor Everton Dennis got his first taste of Nollywood, appearing in the movie, Mother In Law, which premiered March 25 at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, California.
The movie is directed by Ghanaian Prince Joshua Nana Morrison Budukuma, a rising star in African cinema. It stars American actors Vivica A. Fox and Miguel A. Nunez Jr.
Mother In Law’s co-stars include veteran African actors, Adjetey Anang and Patience Ozokwo whose son wants to marry his African-American girlfriend. The couple’s parents are against the union because of cultural differences.
Dennis, who plays Jungle Lion, a criminal who kidnaps the bride-to-be, said, “I hope this movie can help build more creative opportunities between the Caribbean, African, and US film markets.
The lanky Dennis is from Clarendon parish in central Jamaica. He made his film debut in Out The Gate, a bio-pic released in 2011, that starred fellow Jamaicans Oliver Samuels and Paul Campbell.
He has since appeared in dramas such as Chocolate City 3 and Gangland The Musical, both directed by Haitian-American Jean-Claude La Marre.
Mother In Law is a change in direction for Dennis who worked with a pre-demoninantly African cast. Prince Joshua Nana Morrison Budukuma is one of the stars of Nollywood, West Africa’s answer to the lucrative Bollywood in India.
“It was wonderful to experience filmmaking from the African perspective and see how big their film industry is growing. Working with the legendary Nigerian actress Patience Ozokwo was reminiscent of my previous experience with Oliver Samuels,” he said. “I can see the potential for Jamaican characters and Jamaican film-making to expand exponentially to audiences around the globe as well.”
